


Hogwarts: The Wild Hunt

by Lucidity



Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Feels, BAMF Severus Snape, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Dark, Drama, F/M, Gen, Humor, M/M, Prophecy, Religious Content, Self-Insert, Severus Snape-centric, Translation, Video Game Mechanics, Violence, Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-13
Updated: 2020-10-15
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:21:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26437108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lucidity/pseuds/Lucidity
Summary: (Snape is the main character, and he is a badass)This is a private beta-test from "Iggdrassil" Studio. Walk in the shoes of the wizard with a complacated destiny who is to learn misteries of magic, to uncover dark secrets of rulers and oppressed, to gain the power of Ancients and decide the Fate of many universes. As the World descends into Chaos, you will create its Path!The Work is translated from Russian with the permission of the author - k. Mara
Comments: 1
Kudos: 6





	1. Prologue. Ready Player 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Hogwarts: Wild Hunt](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/683305) by k. Mara. 
  * A translation of [Hogwarts: Wild Hunt](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/683308) by k. Mara. 

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How it began

“Huh, I see you’ve recovered after - ”  
  
“Do not say it - ”  
  
“ - after “No man’s sky”.  
  
“...asshole. It was a fantastic project, actually! You feeble mind is just not capable of comprehending the sheer magnitude of what I tried to make!”  
  
“The key word here is ‘tried’. You’ve tried to make something amazing, I admit, but you got what you got. I sent a letter of gratitude to Creator that I work here instead of Department of ‘cleaning up messes.’”  
  
“That’s it,” Developer nearly embedded the cup of coffee into the table in anger. Black as the souls of those throwing a game coffee splashed and tainted some papers, “Are you going to test it or not?”  
  
“Well, show it to me,” Tester smirked.  
  
“Behold!” Developer waved his hand theatrically at the huge screen where the loading window slowly appeared.  
  
A logo with the World Tree changed to minimalistic menu. Tester attempted to press ‘Character Design Settings’ but it refused to open.  
  
“You shouldn’t go there,” Developer shrugged, “A slight mistake in calibrations and you’ll get tangled in limbs, for example... or something much worse.”  
  
Tester squinted at his friend with suspicion and vague worry.  
  
“I assume ‘Additional Content’ is also unavailable?”  
  
“Of course.”  
  
Taking a deep breath, Tester stretched his fingers, rolled his head til his neck crackling, and pressed the ‘New Game’ button at last. The screen turned dark. Multicolored lights flared up at the edges and upon converging in the center became ubearably bright.  
Tester squeezed his eyes shut, and as he opened them again, everything around became white, grey and shimmering. Drumming sound appeared, then flute and somewhat haunting bagpipes joined the melody. The light grey something underneath started to vibrate. Tester lowered his eyes and saw a huge title growing right under his feet:  


##### “Hogwarts: The Wild Hunt”

  
“What?” Black letters shined in gloomy metallic, then blurred away, and Tester fell... fell into a New Game.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's notes: The jokes about “No Man’s Sky” lost their meaning in 2017-2018 as ‘Hello Games’ issued some serious patches which corrected main bugs and turned the object of collective jokes into a decent game. However, in the reality of this fanfic the “No Man’s Sky” remained just an ambitious project, unfortunately, and didn’t live up to expectations of the gamers, becoming an embarrassment.


	2. Chapter 1. Munchkin

As I opened my eyes, I noticed immediately that the game was from the 1st POV. Eric is one of those Developers who prefers total immersion, so nothing surprising there. Personally, I am much more comfortable in the games with 3rd POV: you are just floating as a bodiless conscience behind the PC screen, giving commands, looking at the indicators… No stress, just leisurely observation. However, when you are in the character’s body directly, that’s another story. You are feeling everything the character is feeling: heat, cold, hunger, pain, tiredness and… all that mess with urinary system. Disgusting.

I twisted and turned some time in the bed observing how to control my body. It seems Eric was right not to allow me to go to **Character Design** **Settings** : this really was... a complete immersion. The body felt just as if my own, and - amazingly! - even more than my own which consisted of condensed aether. In the previous games of our department’s Developers the physical bodies of the characters were always more or less doll-like – you could feel touch, pain, temperature change and so on, - but only now I could feel that indescribable human sensation of muscles working and the beat of the pulse in the temples.

Outstanding.

After processing all these impressions I sat on the bed and called up a character’s profile. Against my expectations I didn’t get a regular hologram with stats. Instead, the doors of the wardrobe standing in the corner opened wide, presenting full-length mirror, some hangers and drawers – an inventory, it seems.

I stood up and went to the mirror. Reflection showed me a tall lean man in the pajama pants. Looking at the reflection, I’d say I belonged to a class of Wizards or Assassins. Assassins, probably: large eagle nose, predatory curve of the lips, deep seated eyes... And, well – an intimidating arsenal of weapons in the inventory.

With some interest I looked over dozens of types of knives, something like small bombs in glass shells, two guns – American M1911 and Italian Beretta – and...

"Hmm."

Magic wand.

Portable equivalent of a regular staff.

“Assassin-Wizard then,” I murmured, browsing through inventory. Some minutes later I discovered a diary with a brown leather cover. It was there I finally found some information about my character:

**Severus Tobias Snape**

_Wizard_

_Potions Professor in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_

_Potions Master_

_Death Eater_

_Attributes:_

_Strength – 50/100_

_Agility – 80/100_

_Intellect - 90/100_

In the long list of skills there were various spells and potions which the character knew, and could use and prepare accordingly, and there were some points for artefactory, transfiguration, linguistics and – yes, yes! - covert assassinations.

Next pages had a list of quests. The very first one was as follows:

“ **Dungeon Terror”**

**Teach a lesson to Gryffindor and Slytherin First Years. Raise your Terror Level. Additionally: send a coded message to Harry Potter.**

“Hmm,” I said again and went through the diary looking for the description of other characters.

For the most part the pages in this section were empty and filled with large question marks but I managed to collect some – actually, a lot – information.

I sighed after processing the found details. It seems, Eric decided to break the player’s brain with a level of game like this, and considering that the brain of creatures like us is more powerful than human’s, that’s a nightmare level alright.

I didn’t get just a “doll” which you can play any way you wish, but a wholesome living person with their own history, goals, desires and fears...

Difficult.

And very interesting.

I looked at the wall watch. There was a parchment hanging on the wall nearby with blinking line: “Potions Lesson in 15 minutes.”

Well!

I crackled my knuckles and delved into inventory again. Items necessary for the first quest were highlighted blue.

After some fidgeting I put on a Black Suit (+5 to Gloom), Black Shoes (+3 to Silence), Black Cloak (+10 to Terror) and picked up the last highlighted item.

Black Wig, +7 to Vileness. Disgusting, dirty, greasy tangled mess which I had to... put on my head?

I looked in the mirror again.

My character had short greying black hair and the lack of the wig gave -10 to Vileness. A note appeared in the diary informing me that refusing to wear the wig will lead to mission failing.

“Shit.”

I put on a wig after sighing again. Munchkin is ready to enter the first dungeon.

***

Hogwarts Castle was a multi-level labyrinth-puzzle: you had to show some creativity and use known spells to make a capricious stairs turn, for example, and open randomly closed corridors. The class itself was barely two steps away from my rooms, however there was a wall instead of the corridor which I couldn’t remove. The game, it seems, led me intentionally using the long way around.

When I spent half-a-minute near another stairs flight studying the tricky combination with which I had to light the torches, I was approached by the first relevant NPC.

“Good morning, Severus.”

I turned around to an elderly witch surrounded by floating textbook stacks and parchment rolls.

There was no window with prepared lines, thus, I had to choose the words myself. Smirking in my thoughts, I’ve decided not to greet her back, and there was a ping in my ear: +1 to Vileness.

The witch, marked as “Minerva McGonagall” scowled slightly.

“Director has called us today after supper, it’s regarding the third floor. He asked you to bring some Sneaky Elixir.”

Just for experiment’s sake I didn’t say anything again, staring at McGonagall directly. She faltered – perhaps the mode of communication with her required politeness – then muttered something like “Goodbye, Severus” and left in a somewhat sideways manner.

I kept my eyes on her until she disappeared. Ding! “Very Unpleasant Stare” skill renewed.

“Hmm.”

I’ve met two more interesting characters on my way: absolutely identical redhaired boys about thirteen years old. They hid in an alcove behind a statue of some legendary wizard – I ignored a hint that poped up in my field of vision with the short description of Gugo the Sly - and they were preparing some trick for sure.

I sneaked up on them silently in my Black Shoes (+3 to Silence) and put my hands on twins’ shoulders. They froze in place.

“O-oh?” I crooned (“Bone-Chilling Voice” skill renewed). “What do we have here?”

The boys stayed quiet like spies during interrogation but I could see perfectly well they had strange amorphic jelly-like creatures with stupid yellow bright eyes in their hands. My diary showed them to be “Icy Chuchu” - magic animal that exploded and froze everything nearby upon dying. These itty-bitty ones were enough to freeze half-a-classroom.

I browsed mentally through usual punishments available to me as a professor. Taking points, detentions...

Smirking, I removed my hands from boys’ shoulders and took two steps back. The boys turned around to me, their freckled faces showing quiet resolution and challenge.

Without using my wand – my level allowed some simple spells wandlessly – I surrounded myself with transparent magical shield, and then clicked my fingers. Chuchu exploded into a cloud of snowdust. I walked away leaving behind me two ice statues of Weasley twins. If someone pushed them – there would be only bloody shards left to thaw. They shouldn’t have been playing with dangerous creatures in school is all I’m saying. _+15 to Terror._

***

To make a difference I opened the door to the Potions classroom with a kick. The Black Cloack fluttered behind me dramatically.

The murmuring ceased immediately. The First Years – a gaggle of children with typical NPC eyes – stared at me afraid to move.

The Game finally gave me a hint – a suggested speech.

“There will be no foolish wand-waving or silly incantations in this class ,” I read using a Bone-Chilling Voice. The further speech, however, was overly pretentious, so I continued more casually. - “I will teach you how to brew potions. This activity is no more dangerous than Charms or Transfiguration with which you’ve been familiarized already this week, but remember this: unlike Professors McGonagall and Flitwick, I will be indescribably happy if some of you foolish-headed morons will die of stupidity during my lesson and won’t clutter our nation’s gene pool.”

The students were rendered speechless. I earned another +5 to Terror.

Elated with success, I’ve decided not to shelve the cat*:

“Mr. Potter!” skinny bespectacled boy jumped in fear, and I added some poison to my voice, “Our new celebrity.”

On my mental screen a hint popped up – flower language. Asphodel, wormwood, aconite... The game meant for me to create a message about Potter’s mother which I – my character, that is – loved once upon a time...

“What will I get if I mixthe root of white daisy and the infusion of oleander?”

The boy became so pale, he was a picture of despair. Some girl with bushy hair held up her hand in the background.

“I don’t know, Sir.”

“Let’s try again,” I smiled (Skill Renewed!) with Very Unpleasant Smile. “Which potion contains both menthol and nut shells?”

“I don’t know, Sir,” Potter’s voice thinned with fear, but stubborness glinted in his eyes. “But Hermione knows for sure, why won’t you ask her?”

I smiled so wide the glass beakers cracked in front of me.

“Because I want you to suffer, Potter,” I said slowly, and all First Years choked on air. “And not just you. Everyone in this class who is not going to prepare properly for my lesson will suffer.”

Smoothly, like an assassin, I moved forward and sat on a conjured chair across Potter.

“For your information, a root of daisy and an infusion of oleander will make a salve against acne; menthol and nut shell are the ingredients in a Dry Palms Potion, and everyone who is not writing it down right this very second is going to regret it bitterly in a couple of years.”

The student started to scribble in panic on their parchments. Potter stared at me like the Devil himself.

_+5 to Terror._

_**Mission ‘Dungeon Terror’ complete.** _

***

Headmaster’s (article in the Diary: “Albus Percival Wulfric...” and I stopped reading there) request to bring the Sneaky Elixir was a part of “Bait for Devil” quest.

Interesting.

I didn’t have any more lessons aside from the First Years’ one. Unrealistic, but I was in the game, after all. Even Eric knows the limits of game realism.

Therefore, I had half-a-day for preparing the required potion, and that was worrisome. What were the ingredients? The recipe appeared in my mind, and I went to check the inventory in my storage space.

Half of the ingredients was present, but the rest… I had to go to the library – that is, my rooms where the bookcase was, - and browse through the codex of magical plants and mushrooms.

“I see,” I said some time later staring emptily into space ahead, “It’s time to brave the nature.”

The Forbidden Forest was one of those locations that were hidden by the ‘fog of war’. The Diary only had noted about the place that the Forest was dangerous and full of bloodthirsty beasts.

“Sure,” I smirked.

I’ve decided to change outfit for the trip: first, enhanced levels of Terror and Vileness will barely help me against monsters, and second, I’ve had enough of wearing this disgusting greasy wig.

The wardrobe – starkly empty for now – contained only Death Eater Cloak (+100 to Terror, +20 to Sterngth, Flight ability). Shrugging, I put it on, and the mirror reflected something terrifying and black with the skull in the place of face, similar to nazgul. I surely couldn’t walk around in the school dressed like that…

Or could I?

When I left my rooms, there was no bell for the break between classes yet and the corridors were empty. Leisurely walking I headed up towards the main entrance. When I was going up from the dungeon to the ground floor, the stairs under my feet decided to fall down. Feeling the loss of ground under my feet, I pushed myself up from the steps and wished greatly for…

Death Eater Cloak didn’t betray my hopes.

The sensations were strange: I stopped feeling my body, turning into a black smoke, and that was so pleasant that I laughed diabolicaly.

From somewhere nearby I heard child’s strangled squeak. I looked there – trying to become one with the wall was… Ron Weasley, Harry Potter’s faithful sidekick.

I howled:

“Truants will be sacrificed to the Dark Lord!” and flew towards the boy.

He paled, hiccuped, crapped himself and lost conscience.

 _+20 to Darkness_ – pinged in my mind.

“Hmm,” I floated over crumbled Weasley a bit, giggled and continued on my way. Following the Way of Darkness was always more interesting – at least, in the games.

***

I needed a Sneaky River Snail, Centaur’s Liver and half-a-dozen of Silent Shrooms for the Sneaky Elixir. The inventory had bonbs with fire potion, stilettos, silver knife and a wand.

After passing the green edges of the Forbidden Forest, I found myself in the foggy bushes. Bare twisted trees loomed over my head, the forest floor was carpeted by withered grey leaves, and touchwood glowed softly between the hummocks. I walked slowly, looking around carefully and listening to squeaks and rustles. A cloud of bats flew by, then something crawling passed by in dry grass.

Silent Shrooms – blueish glowing mushrooms – were found at once, and I got two dozens in a couple of minutes, just in case. I had to stomp on a bright-colored (and obviously very poisonous) lizard in the process and incinerate a small colony of spiders. Wand usage, as it turned out, required mana: 5 units of my reserve of 1000. I recorded the time: spent mana recovered in a minute. It showed me not the most optimistic perspectives: if I spent the whole reserve, - and truly powerful magic will require a lot of units, logically – I would have to be recovering for sixteen hours which is completely unacceptable during serious fight.

Therefore, the game has to offer level improvement or other way of expanding my reserve. And, if I am a Potions Master...

I didn’t manage to complete my thought. With a dull thud a long arrow was embedded in a tree trunk step away from me. I jumped away, turning around at the same time, and saw my third ingredient.

**Level 20**

**Dickentaur**

**+10 against wizards, -50 against mares**

**Bad Stuff: you are shot, robbed and defiled.**

**Return to start losing innocence and dignity.**

**2 treasures**

I sneered. This is my chance to try the fighting system.

Centaur neighed agressively, lifting up the spear and galloped towards me. I waved the wand:

“Bombarda!”

Deafening explosion torched the dry grass, flames were emitting heat waves – however, armored centaur was just slightly covered by soot. Well, here is the +10 against wizards for you. The spear tore through the air – I managed to evade it turning into a back smoke for a moment, then threw a bomb. New fire – this time unnaturaly crimson, - didn’t harm the beast either, of course, but the bright flame was enough to make centaur miss the next hit also, and for me to shorten the distance for a direct hit.

Stiletto flew like a bird from my hand. I aimed for the face, but Dickentaur turned out to not be an average loser: pulled his head back, jumped closer and bending in a mindboggling way, kicked me with his back hoof. I managed to lean back, but the kick was really strong. It threw me for acouple of steps. Right side exploded with pain, I wheezed barely able breathe...

Centaur neighed in victory and reared up, gripping the spear. I tensed, using Death Eater Cloak’s abilities again and ganing distance. I‘ve decided it was prudent not to stand up.

Iron-shod hooves stomped in quick beat on a dusty ground. The spear end flashed.

“Incarcero!” I gasped, aiming for the legs, and the spell worked.

Centaur crashed face-down with a shout, and still lying, twisted and jabbed towards me with the spear. I rolled over, grinding teeth with pain, grabbed the spear and pulled as hard as I could. I think I broke some fingers for my opponent – something cracked revoltingly.

I blacked out for a second and I missed the moment when Dickentaur got to his feet, rearing up again with the intent to trample me. Right before my eyes I saw the, well – the tool of Defilement – so I jabbed the spear there with a grimace, throwing myself to the side. Centaur screamed like regular human and fell. Blood splashed on me, and a hoof hit my thigh... Swearing, I took out one more stiletto and dodging twitching limbs of the enemy, buried the blade deep into his ear.

The beast stilled.

Limping and holding my ribs, two of which were surely broken, I took couple of steps back. The inventory had no healing elixirs. Mana reserve was emptied by hundered units.

“Shit.”

Battered and bloodied all over, I felt awful. And I had to find a Sneaky River Snail yet...

“Shit.”

I understood clealry now that the Game was going to be difficult.

****Additional Notes** ** ****:** **

Flower meanings:  
White daisy — Do not try my patience.  
Menthol — Be gone from my way!  
Oleander — warning.   
Nut — stupidity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * Yes, I know it sounds weird, however in the original the author mixed the two sayings: ‘pull the cat by the tail’ and ‘put something in a waitbox’ if to translate it literally, and the meanings are ‘to procrastinate, to beat around the bush’ and ‘to table, to shelve something’. After playing around with possible translations, I like the fusion I used, I think the one I used is the closest to conveying not only the meaning but the mix of the sayings as well. I will welcome alternate variations if anyone is willing to experiment.


End file.
